David Goodyear from Animal Search UK describes how the team plan to capture
the South America rhea on the loose in Hertfordshire

The three-year-old female bird is capable of disemboweling a man with a single flick of its six inch claws.

David Goodyear, a missing pet search team leader, from Animal Search UK described the challenges of trying to catch a bird, which can travel at up to 40 miles per hour.

"At 40 miles an hour, anyone would struggle to keep up with that, the fact that it is quite a dangerous animal is obviously a concern and something we have to take into consideration."

The pet detectives, who came with 'Missing' posters to pin up around the search area and a vehicle packed with specialist equipment from two-way radios to tracking chips, said that while the hunt may be tricky, they were confident of locating the animal.